Fahd Al-Mamari: “Libraries of the Emirates” is an archive for cultural institutions’ initiatives and projects.

Mohammed Abdul Sami (Sharjah)

Fahad Al Mamari, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Library and Information Association, said the government’s interest in libraries and the promotion of information centres, documents, resources, books and information materials, both printed and electronic, led to the establishment. The association aims to be an umbrella and a repository for all efforts, projects and initiatives of cultural institutions in this field.
Al-Mamari, Federal Law No. 2008 of 2008 to complement the initiatives of knowledge development and sustain the role of writers. According to 2, the association was established in Sharjah in 2017, and its activities include the United Arab Emirates, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah His Highness Sheikh Dr. With the support of Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, providing the association with its role in providing training and knowledge opportunities through an annual budget, gathering workers with the aim of promoting collaboration. and volunteering, and providing important initiatives and projects to the community, as well as creative gifts and important exhibitions organized and made available by the association.
He said the vision behind the establishment of the association was to achieve effective scientific communication between the association and those interested in its activities, to develop ideas and services related to libraries and information sector, and to provide scientific and professional advice. Special subject for promotion of scientific work and practices in libraries and information industry related institutions.
Al-Mamari pointed out that the Emirates Library and Information Association is part of the Federation of Arab Libraries (KNOW) and the Federation of International Libraries (AFLA) and enjoys an international character in its membership and its non-profit public. Beneficial work in the maintenance of libraries, information, documents, archives, manuscripts and its staff, one of the functions of the Society is to encourage, promote and publish studies and research related to libraries and information in the country.
Among the recent activities of the Association, during the new session of its Board of Directors, its electronic platform and social media platforms were launched to reach out to the largest group that will benefit from its programs and to provide marketing support services to workers in the library sector. and information, and a directory of Emirates public and special libraries and information centers established in the state. Al-Mamari pointed to the Association’s participation in the World Library and Information Conference, announcing the Association’s mission to develop a scientific program that meets the needs of members, encouraging them and appreciating the work they do, and the Public Librarians Award. The current session will be held in the Irish capital, Dublin, in 2022, emphasizing the importance of changing the image and the scale that Emirates Libraries has achieved globally.

Paper book
Al-Mamari believes that the proliferation of social media and electronic libraries cannot eliminate or replace traditional libraries or paper books, acknowledging that technology is inevitable and indispensable in the lives of writers, readers, intellectuals and all sectors of society today. Against growth, but there are digital books and there are social media channels, and there are also digital libraries. Al-Mamari demonstrates the survival of the paper book and its incubator libraries, with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library, the most recent scientific library to be created and opened, containing over one and a half million printed books on its shelves. , in addition to a paper bookstore that accommodates one million paper books, it supports the survival of the paper book and traditional libraries.